pv magazine test: October 2023 Results
By George Touloupas
This article was originally published in pv magazine – December 2023 and January 2024 edition. Learn more about the pv magazine test here.
George Touloupas, senior director of technology and quality for Clean Energy Associates (CEA), analyzes the October 2023 energy-yield results from the outdoor testing field in Xi’an, China.
The first chart shows the meteo station data with irradiance and ambient temperature for October 2023. Due to an issue with the collection of information, system data is missing for Oct. 14 to Oct. 16. We observed that the energy yield figures of several topperforming products are very close, and this could render the numbered ranking method we have been using less meaningful. CEA is currently working on a new ranking system that will adapt to these new trends and be more representative of product performance.
The average bifacial boost is 10.20% for October 2023. Bifacial boost is defined as the relative advantage of the average specific energy yield of all bifacial products compared to the average specific energy yield of all monofacial mono PERC products.
Table 1: Bifacial boost - July to October 2023
Table 2: Specific energy-yield ranking of bifacial modules - July to October 2023
Table 3: Specific energy-yield ranking of monofacial modules - July to October 2023
Figure 1: Daily temperature and irradiance data - October 2023
Figure 2: Specific energy yield of bifacial and monofacial modules - October 2023
Figure 3: Relative yield of different technologies - October 2023
Notes on the energy yield measurements:
The energy yield comparison among various technologies, including bifacial boost, will be analyzed using products installed after the beginning of 2019.
The energy yield is given in Wh/Wp and calculated by dividing the energy produced by the module by the Pmax at STC of the module. This Pmax is the maximum STC power after a process of stabilization.
The results are grouped in categories, per module type.
The bifacial boost depends on many parameters: the bifaciality factor, the installation geometry, the albedo of the ground, and the sun angle and diffuse irradiance. The ground in this case is gray gravel.
Test Cooperation
pv magazine test is a cooperative effort involving pv magazine, APsystems, CEA, and Gsolar. All testing procedures are carried out at Gsolar’s test laboratory in Xi’an, China. CEA supervises these tests and designed both the indoor and outdoor testing procedures.
